Regs - which one? Oceanic, Mares....

[jeckyll]

Fringefan: All the atomic regs are excellent breathers. Not just the T2.

But don't take my word for it:

http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/regulators/scubalab_special_report:_muscle_regs/0/

 

[NJdiverTony]

I've been looking around for a reg and been very impressed by the following:

Mares Proton Ice
Mares Metal Tech Limited Edition (LOVE THIS ONE!!!!!) http://www.limitededition.mares.com/ - have the fins already....
Oceanic Delta 4 - http://www.oceanicworldwide.com/p_regulators_delta4.html

What's your opinon? Any recommendations?

Anneli

Anneli, stick with the Oceanic Delta 4 with the FDX-10 first stage. It is an awesome regulator! I've tried many different regs (even the very expensive ones) and I still find the Delta 4 to be the best breather. Don't listen to people telling you that the Delta 4 is a second tier product either!!! That's just not true. I took a few hours to try out a few different regs just recently (ScubaPro Mk25/s600, Mares Abyss, Atomic M1, Oceanic Delta 4, and a few others) so I could do a comparison to help me narrow down which reg I would purchase, and the Delta 4 won hands down! It was the best breather and best choice for me.

If your local LDS will let you jump in their pool and try out the different regulators, you should definitely do it. It will only take a few hours of your time, but you will be able to see which is best for you.

Good luck in your purchase! (Whichever reg you decide to buy)

Tony

 

[H2Andy]

I took a few hours to try out a few different regs just recently (ScubaPro Mk25/s600,
Mares Abyss, Atomic M1, Oceanic Delta 4, and a few others) so I could do a comparison to help me narrow down which reg I would purchase,

just out of curiosity, how deep did you dive with these regs?

 

[cerich]

H2Andy,

All of the named regs above will handle as deep as you want to go in regards to flow.

BTY, over the weekend I was teaching a reg. clinic and the students were great fans of their MK25/s650 combos from Scubapro. I made the bet that the Delta 4 would have better out of the box breathing. They took a new out of the box Delta 4 and a new s650 out of the box. The s650 had a cracking effort at it's easiest setting of 1.2", the Delta 4 of .6" . I loved it! The flow on both is very high and will meet any tech divers needs.

Best,

Chris

 

[H2Andy]

All of the named regs above will handle as deep as you want to go in regards to flow.

i'm sure they would... i am just asking how deep did he compare the regs to
each other

it's a relative thing eyebrow

my SeaElite worked at 100 feet, but nowhere near as well as my Apeks DS4-50

 

[ArcticDiver]

Just to throw in another brand that has not been mentioned to date: Sherwood. A couple years ago my scientific diving buddy told me the Sherwood Maxima was the only one that passed all their tests. Now that was a couple years ago so things might have changed. But, give them a look too.

When Scubadiving Magazine rates regulators it is amazing how similar all the specs are regardless of price. Frankly, I don't think there is a truly bad regulator on the market.

However, there are differences in how regs are set up by different service people. My Oceanic regs breath differently depending on who I have do the maintenance. Currently they are easy breathing. I can't tell the difference between them and the Apeks.

So, don't drive yourself crazy. Just pick one you can afford and that can be maintained in your area and go dive!

 

[cerich]

I have dove the Maximus deep and at ~180 feet it was unacceptable to me.

 

[jeckyll]

If you really want to look at the regs that did best on the breathing tests and look at the empirical numbers, look at the link I posted above.

In the end, it sounds like all major manufacturers are quite close for rec diving at depths of up to 100 fsw for their top regs.

But from personal experience, the difference I've experienced between cheap rental regs, and my current Atomics (Z2 and Z1) is very significant. In the end, perhaps one of the most important criteria is that whatever you end up using, you trust that reg at any depth / condition you'll find yourself in.

 

[cerich]

True, however you'll notice that many regs weren't tested.

 

[jeckyll]

cerich: Absolutely. I believe that the article stated that they tested 24 regs and 16 made the cut.

There is a PDF that has some details about the performance from the June 2005 test that included some of the other regs mentioned in this thread.
http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/regulators/2005's_best_new_breathers/